Local lad Shankar Das of Kolkata fired a timely seven-under 65 to surge ahead and establish a two-shot lead in the penultimate round of the Rs 1.5 crore McLeod Russel Tour Championship at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club on Saturday.

Delhi lad Rashid Khan equalled the Royal Calcutta Golf Club course record with a phenomenal nine-under 63 to jump to second place from overnight tied 14th on day two of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship here on Friday.

Success eluded them on the European and the PGA Tour but Indian golfers enjoyed a decent run in Asia with rising talents Rashid Khan and Anirban Lahiri sharing four titles between them even as some seasoned veterans struggled in a mixed year for the sport.

Having made a spectacular rise from an obscure 600 in the world rankings to under 200 this year, up and coming young Indian golf professional Rashid Khan is determined to break into the top 100 in the New Year.

Leading Indian golfers, including defending champion Chikkarangappa S, super series leader Rashid Khan, Rolex rankings leader Shankar Das and seasoned pros Shamom Khan and Mukesh Kumar are to take part in the CG Open tournament beginning here from Wednesday.

Struggling to revive the form which made him India's top golfer, seasoned pro Jeev Milkha Singh has pinned his hopes of a turnaround on the USD one million Resorts World Manila Masters which tees off here Thursday.

Indian golfers were on the rise in this week's Asian Tour Order of Merit list with young star Rashid Khan and veteran SSP Chowrasia moving inside the top-10 on the back of their impressive wins in Thailand and India respectively.

Rashid Khan turned in a strong birdie-birdie finish to move into second place, even as overnight leader Jyoti Randhawa bogeyed the closing hole to drop alongside him after the penultimate round of the Chiangmai Golf Classic here on Saturday.

Anirban Lahiri battled fatigue and rivals at the same time and ended in a tie for fourth after being just one spot away from the top overnight at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) on Sunday.

Anirban Lahiri and Rashid Khan spearheaded an Indian charge on the leaderboard as they were placed second and third respectively behind Australian rookie Cameron Smith at the end of the third round of the USD 750,000 CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters here On Saturday